


Mamihlapinatapai

by Luca_Crimson



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Christmas Fluff, Draco is openly gay, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Matchmaker Ron, Post Hogwarts AU, Sorry for the long wait Lady Ravenpuff, The Author Regrets Nothing, Which is adorable, and once in a tree, because their sense of humour is terrible, hiding in room plants, make this a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 03:17:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8781004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luca_Crimson/pseuds/Luca_Crimson
Summary: The look shared by two people who desire each otherBut both being reluctant to initiate something Because they fear that the other might not feel the same.orFive times their friends tried to get Harry and Hermione together and the one time things worked themselves out.akathe belated one-shot for Lady Ravenpuff. Think of this as a Christmas present.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lady_ravenpuff2021](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_ravenpuff2021/gifts).



> Dear Lady Ravenpuff. Your one-shot was finished as a 18k Count of Monte Cristo AU. This is a different story for two reasons: One, my laptop broke down, so the document got lost, but when I tried to rewrite it, I realized that there was another problem, which brings me to reason number two: The dynamic between Harry and Hermione. I am not a great romance writer, so the pairing went into the background. As it is I rewrote the one-shot as a seasonal stand alone story. As I wrote this in 5 hours flat, it does not have as many words, sorry. I hope you can still enjoy and Merry Christmas.

“Well, this is positively awkward.” Said Ron when he sat down on the Ministry cafeteria table. His eyes were focused on his two best friends sharing a booth together in the back of the room.

Next to him Neville, who had come to visit, gave a long-suffering sigh. “I know right? They are horrible. I have never seen two people being so awkward…”

“If you count out that disastrous date Hermione went on with Ron after the war…” commented Ginny from her seat opposite of Neville. “But if this keeps going they will even cross that threshold of awkwardness by this time tomorrow. Even now it’s already too awkward to look at.”

“Please do not remind me of that occasion. I still get nightmares from that sometimes.” Said Dean, suppressing a shiver. Ron groaned: “Was everyone and their neighbour hiding in the room plants or how does everyone know details of that date? And why are you bringing it up in the first place? We swore to never talk about it again!”

“Oh, honey not everyone. Harry insisted that we let you have your privacy, although we didn’t listen to him.” said Draco, who had joined them at the table.

“First of all, stop calling me “honey”, Malfoy, it gives people the wrong idea. Second of all, I propose that we get these two together by Christmas. That gives us a bit more than three weeks.”

“Maybe I want people to get the wrong idea…” grumbled Draco, well aware that Ron could hear him.

“Well, what do you suggest then?” asked Ginny, ignoring the sulking blond.

“I say, we devise several plans of how to get them together and keep encouraging them to finally ask each other out. And if all that fails, we can still lock them in the Minister’s office together until they get their act together.”

“How would we get them into the Minister’s office?” asked Dean, doubting his friend’s sanity.

“Well, you might not have noticed but Harry rejected the nomination for the Minister post today. The election is in January and if there are no more nominations until then, Harry said that he will do the job until someone more qualified comes along. Since everyone in the IWC has been trying to get him to accept, there will be no more nominations. And since Hermione is already Undersecretary, it will be a no-brainer to lock these two in the office.”

“But we could only do that after Christmas, darling.” Commented Draco. Ron rolled his eyes before he replied: “Yes! Which is why I said we’d do that only if everything else fails.”

“What other strategies do you propose, brother dearest?” asked Ginny.

“Oh nothing special just the usual, a friend encouraging to make their move, setting them up on a blind date, the seasonal mistletoe which we could use at the Ministry Christmas Ball and making sure that their schedules match often enough to increase the pressure. Of course for the toughest nuts there is also the classic “making them jealous by throwing a third party into the field”, but going by the way McLaggen has been eyeing Hermione lately, we won’t have to waste any effort on that.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road!” exclaimed Dean.

 

_Attempt 01, 3 rd of December, 10:13 pm, Hermione’s office_

“All I am saying Granger, is that you should accompany me to the ball.”

“And why is that, McLaggen?” groaned Hermione. This was the second time in as many days that her ex-housemate pestered her about the upcoming Ministry Yule Ball. It was getting annoying and increasingly ridiculous.

Shaking her head, Hermione stepped around McLaggen and settled behind her desk. There was paperwork to be done and little time to actually finish it. She dearly hoped that McLaggen would take the hint and make himself scarce, she was a busy woman after all.

“Well, you don’t have anyone else to go with and as Undersecretary you are obliged to go.”

“What makes you think that I cannot go alone?” Hermione asked, indignant, borderline enraged. The stack of documents next to her was wobbling dangerously at her outburst.

“I just -”

“And even if I wanted to go with someone, do you honestly believe that I have no one to go with me? That is more than just degrading, McLaggen, that is an insult to a superior officer.” Hermione seethed. She hated flaunting her position, but with this particular brand of idiocy, she had trouble holding all her nasty thoughts back.

It was probably a miracle that none of the swaying paper towers had fallen over yet. McLaggen did not move. “I believe you know where the exit is.” Said Hermione, before turning back to her paperwork, intentionally dismissing the man.

“But,…” McLaggen started. Then his expression turned spiteful: “I was just trying to be nice, you haughty mu-”

He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Glancing at the pale skin, McLaggen could only make out the words: “tell lies”, before a very familiar voice broke the deadly silence: “I really would not finish that sentence if I were you, Auror McLaggen.

The Auror turned around to see the face of his senior colleague, Harry Potter. Another spark of anger flashed into the man’s eyes. “You can’t tell me what to do, Potter!” he hissed. “You aren’t Minister yet and you’re not the boss of me!”

Green eyes were twitching in annoyance. “I believe Ms Granger told you to leave. In case you truly do not know where the door is, just turn around and walk straight ahead.”

Harry then turned to Hermione to greet her. Though before either of them could say anything, McLaggen swirled around, the hem of his robes taking most of the paper stacks with it, scattering documents all over the office.

Once the obnoxious man had left the office both Harry and Hermione sighed. With a wave of her wand the papers settled on Hermione’s desk once more.

“Sorry for poking my nose into that.”

“No, I really appreciated it. But I guess that wasn’t the reason you’ve come here.” Her voice made an odd upturn at the end of her statement, making it seem more like a question.

“Ahh…yes. I wanted to ask you something…but I believe that matter has settled itself…”

“Oh…okay…” Hermione said. It was nothing, she told herself, he was not going to ask you _that_.

“Well…see you later.” Muttered Harry. You could cut the awkwardness with a knife.

“Ah…yeah…we’re up for lunch?” This time it was without a doubt a question.

“Yes!...I mean. Indeed we are…” Harry blurted and ducked out of the room.

Outside of the Undersecretary’s office a lush poinsettia (placed there for decorating purposes) started rustling. Voices could be heard.

“Well…that was anti-climatic.” Commented a female voice.

“Dearest sister, if those two could be persuaded by something as simple as that, they would already be married and have two children.”

“Well said, darling.”

“Shut up, Malfoy!”

“Quiet, you two, someone’s coming.” Hissed Dean.

“How do we even fit into this thing?” muttered Ginny.

“Don’t ask me, ask Neville.”

 

_Attempt 02, 8 th of December, 3:45 pm, Auror Headquarters_

“Why don’t you just ask her?”

“She doesn’t want to go.”

“Correction, she doesn’t want to go with McLaggen.”

“And I am not like you, pretending to realize that she is a woman, a very intelligent and desirable one at that, just two weeks before the ball.”

“You constantly tell her to never let herself be downgraded. Trust me, she knows that you know that she is a woman.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that she probably already has someone better to go with, assuming that she is going at all. Who knows, maybe even Krum.”

Ron groaned. There were so many issues nobody ever thought to work through with Harry. The most prominent of them being his twisted self-image. He truly thought that he had done nothing overly great. Another reason to hate the Dursleys for what they did to their nephew, even a decade later Harry was still carrying baggage from their “care”.

“Harry!” exclaimed a voice. “Just the person I was looking for.”

“How can I help you Draco?”

“The wizengamot is pushing in another session before Yule hits, so you are required to attend as both Lord Potter and Lord Black. So why don’t you and Ronnie-poo finish your little heart to heart, since I will have to steal you away.”

Harry sighed, already used to the blonde’s eccentric antics after ten years of friendship.

While the two lords hurried to the Wizengamot, Ronald Weasley was seen mouthing the words “Ronnie-poo”. Then he saw the giggling poinsettia.

“How in Merlin’s name did you move this thing here?” He asked into the leaves.

“We’re just that good.” Answered Dean.

To anyone else it might have been weird, seeing someone conversing with a room plant, but as this was the ministry of magic, people simply walked by, having seen weirder displays.

“But I guess we can count this as a loss.” Huffed Ron.

“Not quite yet.” Piqued Neville.

“How come you aren’t in the session already? Aren’t you Lord Longbottom?”

“That’s the thing. There is no session. Draco is currently making another attempt at convincing Harry and Ginny is talking to Hermione.”

“Constant exposure…” Ron said amazed.

“Hopefully it works…”

 

_Attempt 04, 13 th of December, 2:34 am, Grimmauld Place Number 12_

“I’m sorry Harry. We just wanted her to cut loose a bit.”

“It’s okay. She must have been stressed these last few weeks.”

“I just never expected her to drink so much…We should have stopped her after that fifth shot of Fire whiskey.”

“Just be happy that you didn’t try to apparate her. She is in no state for any type of magical transportation.” Said Harry, not commenting on the number of shots.

“Well, I need to get this dumbass home, see you…later today.” Muttered Ron, slinging Draco’s arm over his shoulder.

Once they were gone, Harry finally realized what state Hermione was in. Her hair was falling in flow waves around her shoulder and spilled over the couch pillow she was hugging. Her jacket and shoes were gone, her blouse unbuttoned.

Heat shot into Harry’s cheeks. _Get it together, Potter, you’re not fifteen anymore._ He would get Hermione into bed and then sleep in one of the guest rooms.

Hermione mumbled something very close to Harry’s name. The raven head had to fight another blush. He should add a cold shower before going to bed.

The drunk woman in his arms hugged him and whispered “I love you” into his ear. Her hot breath ghosted over his neck. Harry almost groaned. Maybe he should just forgo the shower and throw himself into one of the snow piles outside.

Outside of the house, two very sober wizards were sitting in a tree, watching the scene unfold.

“Did you have to call me a dumbass, sugar pie?” moaned Draco.

“How is that in any way important?” Ron turned incredulously to the blond.

“Well, you either call me something derogative or by my last name…” came the pouty reply.

“You are drunk. You should go to bed.”

“Only if you come with me.”

“I most certainly will not, Mal-…Draco. Please go home. You need sleep.”

“I will, but you have to promise to call me by my name starting right now.”

“If it will make you go to bed, Malfoy.”

“I can’t hear you.” Sing-songed the blond.

“JUST GO TO SLEEP DRACO!”

 

_Attempt 04, 18 th of December, 11:23 am, a fancy restaurant in Diagon Alley_

“So…did they force you into this too?”

“Yes. Oh god, this is so embarrassing.”

“I just hope that the room plants are friends-proof, otherwise they are probably having the times of their lives right now.”

“Setting us up on a blind date…”

“Well, it wouldn’t do to let good food go to waste…shall we order?”

A suspiciously familiar poinsettia was placed near their table. Harry paid it no mind.

“This is by far the most successful attempt yet.” Commented Ginny.

“He still hasn’t asked her out on a date though.”

“Stop being such a pessimist, Dean. Enjoy the show while it lasts.”

 

_Attempt 05, 23 rd of December, 9:08 pm, maintenance room near the Department of Mysteries_

“This – whatever it is – is becoming increasingly suspicious.” Grumbled Hermione.

“Locking us in a broom closet…we aren’t in Hogwarts anymore…” Harry escaped an exasperated sigh.

Hermione looked pale in the wand light. Her eyes dull and her hair fuzzy like it had been in her teens.

“Are you sick, ‘Mione?”

“Huh? Ah…I didn’t think it was that bad yet…” she swayed a bit.

Following an impulse, Harry pulled her against him and slid down, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Sleep.” He ordered. “I’m sure someone will come soon and then we get you to bed.”

A mumble was his only reply before Hermione’s breathing evened and she was asleep.

When they were found the next day, Harry’s back was stiff, but he still carried the sleeping witch all the way to the entrance hall and into her bedroom.

He didn’t notice the poinsettia following him through the hallways, making gushing sounds and cooing noises.

 

_The time things finally worked themselves out, 25 th of December, 7:45 am, Hermione’s kitchen_

Hermione was leaning against the doorway, watching Harry prepare the meals for today. After the many pushed her friends had given her, she was finally ready to try something herself.

“Harry.”

Green eyes snapped up and towards her at her call. For a moment she saw it all, the pleasant surprise at being called by her, the love, everything.

Hermione smiled. Slightly confused, Harry turned down the stove and wandered over.

“Look up.”

A mistletoe hung above them.

Harry leaned down, but hesitated for a moment. “I want to ask you something first.”

“I’ll go to the Yule Ball with you, I’ll even go on a date with you, if you think you can handle it.”

She only heard a relieved “Oh thank Merlin” before she was scooped up in a simply breath taking kiss.

Best present ever.

 

FIN – merry Christmas


End file.
